Monday, September 3, 2012

Salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles

Last year I was invited to
a breakfast in Jacaranda Hotel, Westlands to pray for Israel. Many Christians
together with almost all the world renown tele-evangelists especially drawn
from the Word of Faith movement or the health and wealth preachers and were
going to Israel for a pilgrimage. A tour and travel company that was seizing on
a business opportunity organized this breakfast. The whole arrangement is made
very spiritual and Christians are being encouraged to go to Israel to have a
spiritual encounter. Is there any special spiritual encounter through this? I
hope at the end of this sermon you will be able to say with me, NO!

Finally, Paul is at Rome
and of first priority for him is to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.
But there is the procedure of the evangelization of the world given by the Lord
Jesus Christ. It has to be to the Jews first then to the Gentiles. This is the
formula that Paul used in Pisidia Antioch (13:46); in Corinth (18:6) and
Ephesus (19:8-10). This was the plan of
God in bringing His salvation to sinners. You notice that salvation is here
called explicitly the salvation of God. Salvation belongs to God as Jonah said.
Salvation comes from God not from men, definitely not preachers or pastor or
anyone – it is of God, as belonging to Him, coming from Him as the source and
is only sustained by Him. We should never suppose salvation can come from any
other quarter. It was planned by God the Father in the eternity past by
electing some to come to be salvation at His appointment, it was accomplished
by His Son by His death and resurrection through which the gospel is proclaimed
and it was effected by the Holy Spirit regenerating those whom God chose and
those for whom Christ died. This is the salvation of God that Peter in his
first letter describes Christians as those who are elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, in sanctification
of the Spirit, for obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
At lease this serves to prove that the Triune God is the author and the
perfector of salvation.

1)Why was the
salvation of God sent to the Gentiles?

1.Because the Jews have rejected it
as a nation

Looking
at this passage we see that as soon as Paul arrived in Rome, after three days
he called the Jewish leaders so that he could explain to them the gospel, which
was the reason for His coming, bound in chains. He explained to them what
happened in Jerusalem providing very little information as possible without
laying any accusations against the Jews. How he was arrested in Jerusalem and
handed over to the Romans without even saying his fellow men were responsible
for this unlawful and cruel act to add over their own to the Romans when he was
innocent. He had done nothing worthy the punishment and this was even proved by
the Romans because there was no reason
for the death penalty in his case as the Jews were demanding, as a result he was compelled to appeal to
Caesar. When the Jews confirmed that they had not received any letter or
messenger with information about Paul. They agreed to meet again so that Paul
explain further about Christianity since all they had heard about it was
derogatory. They said with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is
spoken against.

At the
appointed day Paul received them in his rented house, still under arrest, he
could not move around. They came in great numbers to hear the Apostle Paul. So
he took the whole day – from morning to
evening, expounding to them the word of God from the Law and Prophets –
Genesis to Malachi. He explained to them that the Law and Prophets were
pointing to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He testified of what He had heard and
known about Jesus of His life and ministry, of his suffering and death, of His
burial, resurrection and ascension. He then made the application for them that they
had to believe the gospel for them to be saved. Some were convinced and
believed so were saved. But many more refused the gospel and disbelieved so
that there was a disagreement between them so much that they left Paul. But
before he could let them to go, he played the last card.

He
announced to them that the end had come, the words of the prophets which they
spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit that they were the were
like that because had withdrew His grace upon them. They could neither hear nor
understand; they could neither see nor perceive. Their hearts had grown dull so
that their senses were gone. The truth of the matter is that their eyes, though
not physically blind were so spiritually blind. This is because as Bruce says,
there are none so deaf as those who will not hear, none so blind as those who
will not see. Jesus applied this same Prophecy to the Jewish leaders in the
same manner in Matthew 14:13 and John 12:39-10 to show that the attitude of the
Jews to resist the gospel was divinely ordained just like the heart of Pharaoh
to show God’s wrath and justice.

Sadly,
just like Christ, He came to his own but His own people did not receive him
(John 1:11). For this reason, like his Master, the Lord Jesus, Paul invoked the
passage of Isaiah to announce the final decree that God would not contend with
the Jews forever – Salvation will now be sent to the Gentiles and they will
listen. The priority for the gospel would now go to the Gentiles, who unlike
the obstinate Jews will accept it. This was in accordance to the eternal plan
of God as Paul explains it in Romans – so that the purpose of election could
continue (9:11). The Israelites were not willing to pursue the righteousness of
God by faith instead they wanted to attain to it by works, the Israelites
ignorantly and zealously, wanted to establish their own righteousness instead
of submitting to the righteousness of God that comes by faith in Christ on all
and to all who believe in Him. For reason Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom. 10:4). God had to finally, and
sadly announce to the Jews that, “All day
long have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people” (Rom.
10:21). In Rom. 11:11-16 Paul also said
that when the Jews see salvation going to the Gentiles, they will be provoked
to jealousy and turn to God so that the salvation of the Gentiles is itself a
blessing for the Israelites. It was not that God had rejected His own people
but it was that most of them had rejected Him.

Thankfully,
there is a remnant of Israel who had not bowed to the Baal of works, there was
a remnant, who believed like Paul. These were convinced that Jesus is the
Christ and they attained to the righteousness by faith.And these were the ones that the Gentiles
added where made to belong together to a tree called Christianity. The branch
of the Gentiles was now ready to be grafted in and the announcement was to be
made from the capital of the Gentile world – Rome. SALVATION OF GOD HAS BEEN
SENT TO THE GENTILES, THEY WILL LISTEN. This is because it is God’s prerogative
to save and those who reject the gospel invitation will at one point find
themselves rejected like the Jews. If the Jews, God’s people that He said he
had carried them by His outstretched arm.

1.Because the Gentles will listen and believe

While
the gospel is rejected by one person or a group of people, it is received by
the other person or group. While the Jews rejected their much-awaited hope,
when they had all the privileges, god purposed to bring in the Gentiles and
in-graft them to the branch so that they may become His own people. This is
what happened when the Jews refused to listen and heed the gospel so as to
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and turn that He may heal them, the Apostle by
the mandate of the Triune God told them, “Let it be known to you that this
salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, they will listen.” This is a
full loaded statement announcing judgment for the Jews and a blessing for us
Gentiles. It is because of the full meaning of this statement that we are
gathered here today. It is because of the divine appointment that these people
refused to believe. It is because of this reality that God did not grant them
faith to repentance. It was in His purpose of election that He planned that He
will bring this partial hardening upon the Jews until the fullness of the
Gentiles had come in so that in this way all
Israel is saved.All Israel is from both among the Jews and Gentiles! This
is how the promise of Abraham for many nations is realized! And this is then
ending of the book of Acts, now with the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews
but by the bold witness by Paul among the Gentiles in Rome without any
hindrance. The exciting news is that the Gentiles will listen!

2)How has God sent
this salvation to the Gentiles?

I have
explained why God took this radical step in the plan of redemption to bring in
the Gentiles so that the full number of the elect from every tribe and language
and people and nation will be gathered before Him to be myriads upon myriads,
thousands upon thousands to worship the King of eternal ages in glory for all
eternity having been ransomed by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
How is this work of bringing in salvation to the Gentiles done so that the
exact number will be brought to the lordship of the Lord?

1.God has sent the messengers to the Gentiles

The book
of Acts is about the proclamation of the message of the salvation of God being
disseminated from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth first of all by the
Apostles and then the disciples of Christ who make many more disciples so that
by the end of the first year, there were so many Christians on earth and this
has grown so much over the years so that there are Christians in every place on
earth.This was possible through the faithful obedience to the Great Commission
by the disciples of Christ. It was through the willingness of believers to
travelto take the glad news to the nations that salvation came to the Gentile
community.

From the
beginning of Paul’s ministry, the Lord greatly blessed his endeavors. Although he
was known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, church traditions has it that other
Apostles labored in the Gentile world. For example Matthew also called Levi
went to the Ethiopians, Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes and Persians,
and died in India. Andrew who was brother to Peter preached to the Scythians,
Sogdians and Sacae and Ethiopians. Apostle John preached in Ephesus etc. this
is how the Lord sent forth His apostles to reach the Gentiles.

In this
passage we see Paul laboring among the people in Rome for two whole years at his own
expense to spread the gospel even after his won people had rejected it!
This means he rented his own house but was guarded by a soldier who was
relieved after every fours hours (this was another opportunity for the gospel
to reach the whole of imperial guard, and to all the rest and even Caesar's
household (Phil 1:13; 4:22). This is particularly significant because as he
labored with the gospel with the people who came, he also wrote letters we now
call prison letters such as Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon so that he still
had contact with the external world. At this time we know Onesmas, the runaway
slave, was converted!

Luke’s
emphasis here is that the ultimate plan of redemption is realized. Paul stayed
in Rome under house arrest so that he could not freely move to meet with the
people he had brought the gospel. But notice what happened – he made his own
house the gospel mission center or the headquarters for the gospel in Rome and
the whole empire! Many people came to listen to him and he welcomed them all! Here
is the manner the gospel was taken to Gentiles.

2.God has sent His salvation through
the proclamation of the gospel

The
messengers needed to reach the Gentiles with the message of the gospel so that
they could obtain the salvation of God. The salvation of God had to come by
God’s power for salvation for those who believe. Notice that the proclamation
of the gospel is even used interchangeably with salvation itself. This is
exactly what those whom God sent did – they preached the gospel, through which
people were converted and brought to eternal life, which is knowing the Father
as the only true God, and Jesus whom He sent. This is only possible through the
proclamation of the gospel truth by all who are called by the name of Christ. Here
we have Paul with the message of the gospel. What did he do with it?

Here is
a summary of Paul’s ministry to the Jewsand this give a glimpse of what he did
with the Gentiles:

¾From morning till evening he expounded to them the Scriptures

¾Her testified to them
the kingdom of God

¾He tried to convince (‘peitho’ - persuade) them about Jesus
both from the Law of Moses &the Prophets

¾He made strong prophetic statements
to awaken them from their stupor

Sadly
only a few Jews were convinced and so believed and were added to the numbers of
Christians. Thank God that some believed. So what did he do with the Gentile community?
He did basically the same – he reasoned with from the Scriptures trying to
convince them of the salvation by the Lord Jesus alone.

With
Gentiles this is what he did:

¾He invested his time so that he lived in Rome for two years

¾He invested whatever resources he had so that he lived on His
own expenses

¾He extended hospitality universally (to all), no discrimination

¾He proclaimed the kingdom of God

¾He taught about the Lord Jesus

¾He did this ministry with boldness

¾The Lord removed all hindrances so that he ministered without any
problem for the two years.

The book
of Acts trails off so that it doesn't end with a full –stop but a dotted line
as Gordon Keddie rightly observes. This is because after Luke provides us with
the vehement refusal by the Jews to receive the gospel, the attention now is to
the Gentiles and this is our work until the second coming of Christ.

vChristians have carried on this work until now and this is the
reason why we exist.Lyoyd Ogilvie commented, “The abrupt ending leaves us with
the challenge and opportunity to allow the Spirit to write the next chapter in
the Book of Acts today in and through us!” (Acts, p. 357)

vHere we see the grace of God at work in the gathering in of the
Gentiles to be part of God’s Kingdom. We ought to rejoice in the Lord for this
and honor him every day and in every way. How have you shown your gratefulness
to the Lord for saving you, when He rejected the people of His own possession?

vAs Gentile Christians, we should pray for the salvation of the
Israelites. We should like Paul say, “I have unceasing anguish in my heart”
(Rom. 9:2) and “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that
they may be saved.” (Rom. 10:1). However, such movements that think that
Israelites are special people than Christians should not take us up. Therefore
beware of John Hagee and all others who preach Israel as their gospel. And we
should not think that pilgrimages to Jerusalem have any Christian or spiritual
value. We pray for the conversion of the Israelites just like we pray for the
Somalis. We are to be missional in all we do for all peoples of the world, not
just one community.

vIf we have not heeded the message of the gospel and we continue
to reject it every time, we risk losing it forever like the Israelites. Beware
that although God is slow to anger and abounding in love, He has said that He
will not contend with men forever, for man is flesh (Gen. 6:3). When you
continue to remain in sin when the invitation to believe in Christ has been
given to you so many times, while you continue to doubt the promise of Christ’s
coming and the judgment to follow, know this for sure, that a day is coming
when it will be too late for you. You
should know this for sure the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some
count slowness, but is patient towards you, now wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a
thief, and then the heavens will pass away, with a roar, and the heavenly
bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth will and the works that are
done on it will be exposed (2Peter 3:8-10)

vFor you who are believers
and saved by Christ know this: Therefore,
since these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to
be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of
the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved,
and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells. (2Pet 3:11-13).

vFinally, we are the ones called out to enjoy the blessings of
being in the Kingdom of God. We have such great privileges as the citizens of
the Kingdom of God. But we have also been entrusted with a great responsibility
of taking the gospel wherever the Lord sends us. We are to faithfully live in a
manner that honors the Lord so that your children, relatives, friends, neighbors,
colleagues and employers may admire God and so believe in Christ. Your talking
has also to adorn the gospel so that more are brought to the Lordship of Jesus.